LIFE saving equipment was removed from a river bed just two months before a father died trying to save a drowning girl.

Leonard Woodman, 37, of Ryefield Avenue, Hillingdon, acted like a hero when he jumped into the River Colne in Denham Country Park, after he spotted a 15-year-old girl being dragged under the water on May 10.

Bucks County Council had taken the decision to remove all the safety equipment from the river in March because it was damaged and vandalised, Amersham Coroner's Court heard yesterday (Wednesday).

Mr Woodman was walking along the river with his partner, Dani Woodman, and their two children, Ronnie and Maddie, when they noticed children playing in the river.

Ms Woodman said: "We saw a girl being sucked under the water. She kept being dragged under and then reappearing.

"Lenny took his shoes off and started to walk into the river. He went onto the weir and I didn't see him again.

"I saw two of the children wade into the river and pull the girl out.

"I ran up to an old man and told him what happened and then I called the police."

However, when the police arrived they could see no sign of anyone struggling in the river and Mr Woodman's body was later found by a fire service boat.

A inspection of the safety equipment the day of the accident also revealed that the signage telling people not to go into the river had been extremely vandalised.

Coroner Richard Hulett advised the county council to look after the signage to ensure nothing ever happens like this again.

He said: "There are rather a lot of people who look at signage and warnings and manage to ignore them.

"The specific circumstances of his death is he acted selflessly. He had great courage to go to the rescue of a child and it would be totally wrong to criticise that.

"As far as the county council is concerned I would hope the whole of this episode has served to put a variety of issues uppermost in people's minds."